SECOND KHANDA.

1. Let a man meditate on the fivefold Saman as the five worlds. The hinkara is, the earth, the prastava the fire, the udgitha the sky, the pratihara the sun, the nidhana heaven; so in an ascending line.

2. In a descending line, the hinkara is heaven,

the prastava the sun, the udgitha the sky, the pratihara the fire, the nidhana the earth.

3. The worlds in an ascending and in a descending line belong to him who knowing this meditates on the fivefold Saman as the worlds .

Footnotes

^23:3 The five forms in which the Saman is used for sacrificial purposes. The Saman is always to be under-stood as the Good, as Dharma, and as Brahman.

^24:1 The commentator supplies some fanciful reasons why each of the five Samans is identified with certain objects. Earth is said to be the hinkara, because both always come first. Agni is prastava, because sacrifices are praised in the fire (prastuyante). The sky is udgitha, because it is also called gagana, and both words have the letter g in common. The sun is pratihara, because everybody wishes the sun to come towards him (prati). Heaven is nidhana, because those who depart from here are placed there (nidhiyante), &c.